A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/685047
POCs: Assistant Director of Labor Relations Nicole Vitale, Labor Relations Attorney Suzanne DeFelice, and Labor Relations Coor dinator Kendal Manson . On May 24, 2016 , NATCA requested a briefing on FAA TFM Planning, Execution, Review, Trai ning, and Improvement (PERTI). We are currently waiting for a response from the Agency regarding our request. POCs: Labor Relations Attorney S uzanne DeFelice and Labor Relations Coordinator Kendal Manson . GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE : Both the House and Senate are in recess the week of May 30 for the Memorial Day recess. Both chambers return to D.C. the week of June 6 . NATCA IN WASHINGTON 2016 HIGHLIGHTS STAFFING CRISIS : NATCA hosted its annual lobby week, "NATCA in Washington," from May 23 - 25, where NATCAvists traveled to Capitol Hill to discuss the current staffing crisis with Members of Congress. This year, activi sts requested their members of Congress in the House to sign on as cosponsors to H.R. 5292, legislation introduced by Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R - FL - 26) and Sean Patrick Maloney (D - NY - 18). Within just six hours of hitting the hill, activists secured 20 biparti san cosponsors to the legislation and those numbers are steadily increasing. On the Senate side, activists requested their Senators to urge leadership to quickly act to address the staffing issue. H.R. 5292 : H.R. 5292 would improve the hiring of air traf fic controllers by streamlining the process and ensuring a path for Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) students and military Veterans. Click here to view the text of this bill, titled "Air Traffic Controller Hiring Improvement Act of 2016." This legislation was introduced on May 19 and has been referred to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee's Sub committee on Aviation for consideration. The Senate has passed almost identical language in its version of the FAA Reauthorization bill, which passed the chamber in April. NATCA supports H.R. 5292 and will continue to urge members of the U.S. House of Repr esentatives to sign on as co - sponsors. Staffing Crisis Background : Air traffic controller staffing at the FAA has been a concern for years, but it has now reached a crisis level. The NAS has reached a 27 year low for staffing of Certified Professional Con trollers (CPCs). Meanwhile, the FAA has missed its hiring goals in each of the last seven years. With one quarter of the workforce eligible to retire and not enough controllers in the pipeline to replace them, the staffing crisis poses an immediate challen ge to our workforce and is currently NATCA's priority. THUD APPROPRIATIONS BILLS ADVANCE : The Senate voted 89 - 8 to pass its Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill on May 19. The bill (S. 2844) provides $56.5 billion in funding for THUD programs for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 and was combined with the Senate's version of the military construction spending measure (Mil - Con VA). The House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the legislation on May 24, just in time fo r NATCAvists to head to the hill with their message on the staffing crisis. The House version of the THUD legislation is now ready to be considered on the House floor for a vote. Despite the ongoing budget debate, appropriators in both the House and Senat e are pushing forward and some are surprised that the Senate has been moving at a